Convertible seat structure



A.. J. FREEMAN CONVERTIBLE SEAT S'I'RUG'I'URB Filed April 2, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ,2 +2

ATTK

Oct. 27, 1925.

A. J. FREEMAN CONVERTIBLE SEAT STRUCTURE Filed April 12, 1920 2 Sheets-fleet 2 llvvz/vrae: ABE d. FREEM/W rrx To all whom it may concern:

Patented Oct. 27, 1925.

* UNITED STATES,

PATIENT OFFICE.

ABE J. FREEMAN, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR To THVE sEne COMPANY, croni- 'CAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION. or ILLINOIS.

. CONVERTIBLE SEAT STRUCTURE.

Application filed April 12, 1920. Serial no.37a170.

Be it known that I, ABE J. FREEMAN, a

. citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Convertible Seat Structures, of which the following is a specification. 1

My invention relates to improvements in convertible seat structure particularly chair, divan or similar seating structures adapted to be unfolded to be thereby converted into a bed structure. 7

Some of the important objects of the invention are to provide for simplicity of operation so that one forward pull is all that is required to convert the chair or divan structure into a bed structure; to provide such construction and arrangement as will leave a sufficiently clear space underneath the mattress so thatthe bed structure can be used with comfort; to provide spring members so arranged that they will assist unfolding or folding up of the structure and will thereby greatly assist a person unfolding or folding up the structure; to provide a structure which when folded up looks like a perfect chair or divan with all signs of a bed concealed; and in general to provide a construction of the class referred to which cannot readily get out of order and which can be easily operated by anyone without special knowledge of such structure.

The various features of myinvention are disclosed in the structure shown on the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the structure folded up to form a chair,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on plane 22, Fig. 1, I

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view on plane 3-3, Fig.2, p

Fig. lis a sectional view on plane 2-2 showing the structure unfolded to form a bed,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal sec,- tional View showing the hinge connection between the seat and back parts, and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the end of the bed showing particularly the foot board and mattress spring supporting mechanism.

Each side frame of the chair structure shown comprisesthe front and rear posts 10 and 11 connected near their lower ends by a side board '12 and at their upper ends by the rear posts are connected by a cross board 16, the panel 17 intervening between the boards 15 and 16.

The seat part S comprises the side boards 18 and 19 connected at their rear ends by the cross piece 20. At their upper outer corners the side board s 18 and 19 are provided with trunnion fittings 21 and 22 which have bearings in the inner sides of the adjacent front post 10, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The back partB comprises the side boards 23 and 2 1 connected at their upper ends by cross boards 25 and at their lower ends by the cross piece 26. Each side board of the seat part is provided at its inner lower corner with a hinge member 27 pivoted to the companion hinge member 28 on the lower rear corner of the corresponding side board of the back structure, so that the seat and back structures are hinged together. Near the middle of each side board 12 of the chair frame and near the top thereof a piece of angle bar 29 is pivoted at its front end, the vertical flange of the angle bar be ing against the inside of the side boards and the horizontal flange extending outwardly to overlie the side boards when the angle bar is down. A tension spring 30 connects between the rear end of each angle bar and the adjacent rear post structure 11, the tendency of these springs being to hold the angle bars in inclined position as shown in Fig. 4. The side boards 18 and 19 of the seat part are substantially in the. vertical planes of the chair frame side boards 12 and the horizontal flanges of the respective angle bars 29 are between the seat structure side boards and the chair frame side boards, and when the seat and back structures are in position to form the chair, the horizontal flanges of the angle bars will be held by the seat structure side boards against the tops of the chair frame side boards, as'indicated in Fig. 2. \Vhen the seat structure is in this horizontal position the back structure is substantially vertical and rests at its top against the cross board 16. The seat and back structures are provided respectively with cushions 31 and 32 which may be secured in any suitable manner. An apron 33 is hung from the trunnion fittings 21 and 22 and when the seat and back structures are in position to form the chair, this apron hangs vertically downwardly to meet the front board 14 of the chair frame as clearly shown inFigs. 1 and 2.

A U-shaped frame 3% of angle bar is hinged at its ends to the front lower corners of the side boards 18 and 19 of the seat structure as indicated at 35. lVhen the seat and back structures are unfolded and brought into horizontal position in front of the chair frame as indicated in Fig. 1, the U-frame 3 1 extends horizontally in the chair frame to form with said seat and back structure a support for mattress receiving springs. I provide improved means for. closing said U-frame 3 1 to assume the horizontal position when the structure is unfolded and to hold said frame in suitable position within the chair frame when the structure is folded up. At each side of the frame I provide a collapsible leg structure formed of the lower and upper links 36 and 37 respectively. The lower link is pivoted at its lower end on the pivot bolt 38 which serves to support the corresponding angle bar 29 already referred to. The upper link 37 of each collapsible leg is pivoted to the corresponding side of the U-fraine 34-. The inner ends of the links of each leg are pivoted together by a pin 39 and a stop plate or abutment 40 extends from the link 37 to abut against the link 36 when such links are in parallelism forming a jack knife leg structure to thereby lock the leg structure in vertical condition. The vertical condition is illustrated in Fig. 4, while the collapsed condition is illustrated in Fig. 2.

The end board structure of the back structure has the angle bar 4-1 secured thereto to which longitudinally extending spring strands 42 are secured. At their other ends these longitudinal spring stranc s are anchored to the yoke part of the U frame 3%. Cross spring strands 13 are secured to the opposite sides of'the frame 3&1- and similar cross strands is are secured to angle bars mounted on the side boards of the seat and back structure. The horizontal. and longitudinal spring strands form a spring bed for the mattress 4:6. l? represents a foot board pivoted by its arms -18 to the side boards of the back structure adjacent the cross board 25, springs 49 act to hold the foot board in raised position, or in swung down position against the mattress as indicated in Fig. 6. On the board. 25 a handle or grip fitting 50 is provided by means of which the bed is manipulated. Each side board of the back structure has pivoted thereto at its outer end a leg 51 by means of a pivot member 52. A link 53 connects each leg with the outer end of the seat member, connection of the link with the leg being above its pivot member 52., as shown in Fig. at. The arrangement is such that when the various parts are unfolded and the seat and back parts brought into horizontal position, the links will rotate the legs 51 into vertical position. hen the seat and backparts are relatively brought to angular position and folded up within the chair, the links 53 will cause the legs to assume position along the outside of and parallel with the side boards of the back structure, as clearly indicated in Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 shows the various parts all folded together to form a chair structure. If it is desired to form a bed structure the handle 50 is grasped and raising effort and forward pull applied thereto, this causing rotation of the combined back and seat structure on the trunnioned pivot members: 22 and 21 until the back and seat structures are brought into horizontal extended position outside of the chair frame, and the legs 51 brought into vertical position to support the front end of the bed structure thus formed. During such outward swing of the back and seat structure the extension frame 3% will be brought into raised and horizontal position within the chair frame and will berigidly held in such position by the leg structures involving the legs 36 and 37 locked in vertical condition by the abutments 4:0. YVhen upward pull is exerted on the handle 50 the springs assist such movement as these springs exert upward pull on the angle bars 29 below the seat structure. Starting of the various parts to unfolded condition is therefore greatly assisted. After unfolding of'the back and seat parts the foot board structure 47 is swung into vertical position and the bed is then ready for occupancy. During the en tire unfolding movement the apron 33 remains in vertical'position and after unfolding it hangs down behind but above the front board 1% of the chair frame. \Vhen it is desired to fold up the structure the handle is again grasped and raised to swing the combined back and seat structure about the tr unnions 21 and 22. At the same time force is applied tending to effect swing of the back and seat structures at their hinged connections. Such swing is greatly facilitated by the springs 5% connecting between the lugs 55 and extending below the pivot line of the hinges and from the back and seat structures. After relative'swing or hinge movement has been started these springs will practically take up the burden of bringing the back and seat parts into their relative angular position and then the folded back and seat structures can be readily swung back about the 'trunnions 21 and 22 into the chair frame, the legs 51 folding up during such movement. During reinsertion of the back and seat structures into the chair frame Y: Ii

the links 36 and 37 of each leg structure are swung out of parallelism or vertical condition and the part 34 is carried into position below the seat structure, and just before the back and seat structures are brought to the final position within the chair frame, they encounter the angle bars 29 and further movement of the back and seat structures is resisted by the springs 30, so that the back and seat structures will be yieldingly seated in folded position and cannot fall back violently into such position. During the various folding up operations the spring strands and the mattress supported thereon will follow the various bends and fold neatly within the back and seat structure as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

I thus provide a very simple but strong and substantial structure which can either be folded up to form a chair or analogous device, or unfolded to form a bed. No complicated movements or adjustments are necessary for folding up or unfolding, a single handle being provided by means of which alone the mechanism to form the bed is pulled out of the chair frame and then returned thereto when it is desired to fold up the structure to form a chair. It will be noted that the mattress supporting spring strands have considerable clearance space below them and there are no cross pieces which will interfere in any way with comfortable use of the bed. The operator of the structure need not use hisentire force in folding or unfolding as the spring mechanism provided greatly assists in these operations. Vhen the parts are folded together the structure presents the perfect appearance of a chair or divan without any visible signs of concealed bed parts.

I do not of course, desire to be limited to the exact construction, arrangement and operation shown and described, as changes can no doubt be made which would still fall within the scope of the invention.

I claim as follows:

1. The combination with a seat frame,

lower corners of said seat and being narrower than the seat, a bar pivoted at each side of the seat frame in the path of the seat but not in the path of the extension frame, and a spring tending to hold the free end of each bar upwardly at the rear of the seat frame but below the back so that the seat will engage the bars and be cushioned by the springs upon its folding movement.

2. The combination with a seat frame, of a seat invertible at the front thereof, a bed frame including aframe part extending rearwardly from the seat when it is inverted into the seat frame, and a supporting leg for each side of the frame extension which comprises a pair of links one of which has a projection thereon to engage the other and limit the relative movement in one direction to a vertical locked supporting position for the frame part.

3. The combination with a seat frame, of a seat pivoted at the front thereof, a back pivoted at the rear of the seat, the back and seat assuming a seat position within the frame, and means for supporting them in a horizontal position in front of the frame, a bed frame part narrower than the seat extending inwardly therefrom when the seat is inverted, a jack knife leg construction for supporting the frame part within the seat frame, and means below the bed level for engaging the seat but clearing the frame part and said'leg construction in returning the seat within the seat frame.

4. The combination with a seat frame, of a seat pivoted at the front thereof, a bed frame part extending inwardly from the seat when it is inverted, a jack-knife leg and a separate bar having a common pivot in the seat frame, the leg being connected to the bed frame part and clearing the bar in folding, anda spring connected to the bar and the back of the frame for yieldingly engaging the seat when it is folded.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 10th day of April A. D. 1920.

ABE J. FREEMAN. 

